And They're Off! Glad Tidings In Store For Merchants

Economic Uncertainty Didn't Dampen The Holiday Spirit Of Shoppers As They Jammed Stores For The Season's Official Start.

November 27, 1993|By Nancy Feigenbaum and Vicki Vaughan of The Sentinel Staff

At 10:30 a.m. at the Target store on East Colonial Drive, the countdown to mayhem was beginning.

Of 16 checkout lanes near the front, nine were open.

Manager Ed Drake, who let the first shoppers in at 6:45 a.m. out of pity (''I couldn't stand to see them standing around outside waiting to spend money''), poked his head out of a meeting.

''We need to open up another lane or two,'' he told one in the army of employees, all wearing red Target shirts. More customers streamed forward. He recalculated. ''I'd do (lanes) 14, 15, 16 and 8.''

Drake smiled at what was proving to be a very busy day, even for the Busiest Shopping Day of the Year.

Some Central Florida shoppers said they remain worried about the economy - about their jobs, the fear of additional taxes and an expensive national health-care plan - but on the whole, they exhibited the kind of enthusiasm for spending money that suggests a prosperous retail season.

''A lot of the bad news, like the base closings, is behind us,'' said Chris Roethle, shopping with Air Force colleague Steve Gworek at Belz Factory Outlet Mall in south Orlando. The two estimated they would spend 10 percent to 15 percent more this year on Christmas gifts than they did last year.

Joe Moorehouse braved Volusia Mall with his wife, Carol, even though he was on crutches with a knee injury.

''My son wanted to see Santa Claus,'' said Moorehouse, who is from Bunnell. ''I couldn't deny him that.''

Across the region, there were signs that the rest of this holiday season may be a green one:

The Gayfers store at Altamonte Mall gave away its annual supply of Cracker Jack boxes within a half hour of opening - an hour earlier than last year. Each box contained a discount or gift certificate. ''All gone at 7:30. Thousands,'' said vice president and general manager Larry Mockabee.

Employees at Orlando Fashion Square mall parked across the street, but a roof check at noon indicated that nearly all of the spaces near the mall were gone. The food court ran out of spaces for people to park their bodies, too. A few shoppers ate on the floor.

Flea World and adjacent Fun World in Sanford set attendance records. Flea World by 4 p.m. topped last year's peak, which fell on a Sunday before Christmas, by logging 6,000 cars or roughly 20,000 shoppers. Santa handed out more than 1,000 Christmas bears.

Bargain-hunting was the sport of the day, at least among those who did not stay home for football.

At The Sports Authority on Sand Lake Road in Orlando, a quartet of Irish tourists on a two-week vacation was leaving with modest purchases. ''But we have spent lots since we've been here,'' said Joan McCullough, 49, of Belfast.

Her friend, Jackie Craig, 35, also of Belfast, bought some hockey gear. In Great Britain, sportswear, athletic shoes and Levis cost twice as much, she said.

Some of the more careful shoppers said they had bought most of their presents earlier, picking through summer sales. Marilyn Perry of Sanford had only one gift left to purchase.

''That's all you're getting for Christmas,'' she said, teasing her daughter Melissa, 7, who was getting her ears pierced at Altamonte Mall. Or maybe she wasn't teasing. ''You broke your momma,'' she said, paying $20.

Perry was trying to save money because her husband was unemployed. He got a job the day before Thanksgiving, but she isn't changing tactics.

''I make my list. I decide what I'm going to buy, and that's it,'' she said.

Unease about the job market continued to affect some shoppers. Debbie and Jerry Karleskint, standing in line for Santa at Altamonte Mall with two toddlers, said they are spending cautiously because they are concerned about the economy. Although Jerry's job as account manager at a manufacturing plant seems secure, the company's customers are airlines, an industry that hasn't been doing well. He worries, too, about the changes President Clinton may make.

''We'll shop at Wal-Mart, anywhere where there's a good sale,'' Debbie Karleskint said.

At least one person had something good to say about the economy, however.

Ken Schultz, a Winter Park accountant, was shopping for Gator memorabilia at Colonial Plaza Mall with his daughter, Rebecca, 19, a freshman at the University of Florida. Low interest rates allowed him to refinance his home mortgage and business loans, he said, so he's likely to spend more this Christmas.

Bargain-hunting or not, enough shoppers answered the call to spend that merchants like Target's Drake were satisfied. Before 11:30 a.m., the store had hit that point of frenzy where every register was open, every employee demanded by two customers and nothing more could be done to help.

''Eddie, when are you going on break?'' a young woman asked Eddie Corrado, team leader in the electronics section. He didn't look up.